A typical internal combustion engines includes one or more pistons, a cylinder block and one or more cylinder liners. The cylinder liner or sleeve is a cylindrical part that is fitted into cylinder block to form a cylinder. The cylinder liner is a critical component of the engine. The cylinder liner functions as a sliding surface for the piston while retaining the lubricant. It is desirable for cylinder liners to have low friction and high anti-galling properties. Galling is a form of adhesive wear surface damage arising between sliding solids resulting in microscopic, usually localized roughening in the creation of surface distortions. The cylinder liner is under high temperature and high pressure with the piston and piston rings sliding at high speeds. Consequently, it is desirable lower friction coefficient for cylinder liners to have significant heat and wear resistant properties.
Coatings have been developed to provide the cylinder liners with the desirable lower friction coefficients and heat and wear resistant properties. A number of technologies exist for applying the coating and a variety of coating materials may be used. Among the coating technologies that may be used are plasma spraying, high velocity oxygen fuel spraying, laser coating and chemical vapor deposition, and galvanic coating, among others. Materials used for coatings may include ceramics, composites of ceramics and metals (cermet), metal alloys, metal compounds (e.g. titanium oxides), among others. The materials used for coating of cylinder liners are expensive and add considerably to the manufacturing costs of the engines.